Just yesterday, Ingrid seemed fine. She laughed and hung out with her best friend Caitlin at an abandoned movie theatre. But last night, she killed herself. Caitlin is immobilized with mourning, intentionally failing her photography class out of spite. But then she finds a new friend in Dylan, the new girl; and soon after discovers Ingrid's personal journal underneath her bed. The journal is less of a diary and more a collection of letters to friends and family during Ingrid's last days. Caitlin had thought Ingrid was fine. Sure, she had a few bad days, but everyone does, right? Wrong. Ingrid's deep depression surfaces, helping Caitlin realize and cope with Ingrid's suicide. These notes are Caitlin's final link to her best friend, so she indulges in them slowly, keeping them a secret from everyone.
Hold Still was a poetic portrait of loss, love, and recovery. Ingrid's letters are full of heart and the struggle to be happy, despite intense pain. And Caitlin's prose and artistic talent help her bring her friend back to life somewhat, if not entirely.
The centerpiece of the novel is photography, which is a huge passion in my life, so I could definitely relate to Caitlin's love for the art, and it was extremely easy to become frustrated with the character when she was being stubborn. Nina LaCour did a wonderful job creating characters that stand for themselves and automatically take a step into your life and pull at your heartstrings.
The entire novel, I embodied myself in Caitlin and Ingrid became my best friend. It left me with so many questions, some answered by the quiet yet explosive ending, some not.
The one thing that disappointed me about Hold Still was the fact that there is no afternote or forward explaining the intense ties of emotion to suicide, both affecting the suicide and the aftermath. There's no note at the end recommending you talk to a trusted adult if you are concerned about a friend or yourself in relation to suicide. I definitely believe that if a novel contains disputable and/or controversial material, there needs to be a disclaimer somewhere in there that explains the actions/beliefs/quotations are not the personal philosophy of the author, and if it relates to suicide or such subject matter, that there should be a couple websites and/or phone numbers given to aid the person in the rare case that they have such thoughts.
Otherwise, Hold Still was not only a great time waster for when you're bored, but a deep, reflectional novel that makes you think, "what if."
P.S. Sorry, guys. I am definitely back, I had a little bit of pressure due to finals at school. Today's my Sweet 16 Bday, and I just got my driver's permit, so I decided to do a celebratory post (or two - or three).
0 comments:
Post a Comment